This Monday is Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, a holiday marking Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s birthday. Always observed on the third Monday of January, King's actual birthday was January 15. King was a true activist and leader in African American civil rights. Did you know that in 1964 King was the youngest person to receive a Nobel Peace Prize? Here are some other interesting facts about Martin Luther King, Jr.
- King skipped both ninth and twelfth grade, entering Morehouse College at fifteen without formally graduating high school.
- He received a Bachelor of Arts in sociology from Morehouse College, a Bachelor of Divinity from Crozer Theological Seminary and a doctorate in systematic theology from Boston University.
- In 1957 Dr. King helped establish the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) and he became its president.
- King was Time magazine's "Man of the Year" for 1963.
- King led a Civil Rights Rally in Washington on the 100th anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation, attended by a quarter of a million people. King's "I Have a Dream" speech became an iconic plea for equality.
- Many changes have taken place in America because of the leadership of Martin Luther King, Jr. In 1986 when Ronald Reagan was president, Congress passed a law establishing a national holiday, Martin Luther King Day.
To learn more about Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and to visit the Martin Luther King Jr. National Historic Site and Center for Nonviolent Social Change, take a look at our class trips to Atlanta.
Photo Credit: Yoichi R. Okamoto, White House Press Office
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